1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is in the area of connectors between two catheters in a medical environment and is more particularly within the field of connectors that allow two connected catheters, in fluid communication with each other, to rotate relative to each other.
2. Background Art
Catheters are used by health care providers for intracorporeal insertion for the purpose of communicating fluids to and from a patient. When a first catheter is required to be in fluid communication with a second catheter, a connector must be employed therebetween. It is advantageous to provide a connector that permits the first catheter to rotate relative to the second catheter, the advantage being that the catheters are easier to manipulate and unlikely to be damaged by such manipulation.
Rotatable connectors may be used in conjunction with fluid manifolds where a rotatable connector provides a dynamic union between two catheters. Fluid manifolds serve in the role of distribution and communication of other fluids to and from a patient. Fluid manifolds with rotatable connectors may be used in procedures such as angioplastids, angiograms, and in radiology processes involving catheters or plastic tubing where there is a concern with debubbling fluids that pass through the catheters. Rotatable connectors are particularly useful in blood pressure monitoring systems that involve catheter tubing.
In medically related applications for rotatable connectors, it is particularly hazardous to permit unwanted gas bubbles from being entrained within the fluid communicated through intracorporeally inserted catheters to the site of intracorporeal insertion. For example, air bubbles entrained in a saline solution being communicated through catheters to a catheterized heart for the purpose of monitoring the subject patient's circulatory system can be lethal. Such air bubble entry can occur at a catheter connector, rotatable or otherwise, if the connector is subject to leaks and the pressure inside the connector is significantly different than the ambient pressure. Accordingly, it would be an advance in the art to avoid connector leaks.
Gas bubbles that are trapped in the rotatable connector at the time of manufacture are similarly to be avoided for like reasons. It would be an advantage to manufacture a rotatable connector that was free of bubbles trapped inside the rotatable connector.